West, Hornets pound Spurs on the road

SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) -- The New Orleans Hornets surged early
in the fourth quarter, turning a nip-and-tuck game into a
102-78 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night
at the AT&T Center.

Conference-leading New Orleans pounded San Antonio with a 14-2
run to start the fourth, and the defending champions never
recovered. The Hornets hit 10 of their first 12 shots in the
period and outscored the Spurs, 30-14, during the final 12
minutes.

David West led all scorers with 32 points, Chris Paul collected
15 and 11 assists, and Peja Stojakovic chipped in 19 for New
Orleans.

"They didn't just shoot the ball well, they executed well,"
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They were fantastic. You can
see why they have the best record in the West."

Paul was happy to get the win against what has been the
measuring stick in the Western Conference for years.

"I think we're making big steps in the right direction," Paul
said.

After a quick four-point outburst to start the game, Tyson
Chandler, who also had 12 rebounds, picked up his second foul
with 10:07 left in the first. But the Hornets didn't lose any
ground.

Thanks to West, who scored 10 points in the first quarter, the
Spurs were never able to take control of the game with Chandler
out.

"We're playing really aggressive," West said. "We feel like, if
we come in the games with the right defensive mentality, that
we're good enough offensively to hang with just about anybody."

San Antonio was down by as many as six in the opening period and
took a brief three-point lead after Manu Ginobili's 3-pointer
with 2:41 left. But the Hornets held a one-point lead heading
into the second.

When the Spurs were making their pushes, the Hornets seemingly
always had an answer. Early in the third, Stojakovic hit
back-to-back shots from the arc, which gave the Hornets a 52-45
lead.

Scott was proud of his team but hesitant to make any bold
statement just yet.

"We're a pretty good basketball team," Scott said. "But we all
understand there's still a long way to go in this season."

Tim Duncan had 17 points and eight rebounds and Tony Parker also
scored 17 for San Antonio, which was without swingman Brent
Barry, who suffered a calf injury on Thursday in Miami.

It was the last home game for the Spurs, who will embark on
their annual nine-game "Rodeo Road Trip" while the AT&T Center
is occupied until the Charlotte Bobcats come in on February 19.

"The rodeo trip is an opportunity for us to come together as a
team and to spend a lot of time together," Popovich said.
"We'll have fewer distractions and, hopefully, we'll really nail
down the way we want to play."